Hilton Cabo Brides - beach/ocean questions

Hilton Cabo brides, I've read that you can swim in the ocean at the Hilton but I'm wondering if that was actually true for you guys. When you went on your site visit or when you stayed at the Hilton for your wedding, was the ocean safe for swimming?

I'm debating switching my location from Riviera Maya to Cabo b/c I might have to move my wedding date and Cabo offers less chance of rain in rainy months, and the option of surfing, which is great for my FI and me, but having an ocean that my guests and I can swim in is very very important to me.

Also, for those of you with weddings in May - October, could you please comment on the ocean and the weather in general during the month you were married (or during which you visited)?

We walked from the Casa del Mar beach down to the Hilton just to go swimming one day. They have basically built out a rock wall in front of part of the Hilton beach that breaks the waves and makes the beach swimmable. Now, it's not like it's shallow calm water but it's still MUCH better than other parts of the corridor. Does that help? (This was in mid-November, btw)

Also, for those of you with weddings in May - October, could you please comment on the ocean and the weather in general during the month you were married (or during which you visited)?

I have been in cabo in August for vac.. it was very hot (100's) and very humid. We were there in June for a site visit.. again, very hot. We were married Oct 28th and it was 93 and sunny each day. I think the months to be most careful about are Aug/Sept/Oct as far as rain goes.

Hi! We got married this November 17 and we stayed at the RIU. Even though the red flag was up, most of our guests (including us) were able to swim. For kids it can be dangerous though and there were a lot of kids in our party. The pools at the RIU Santa Fe were great for the kids if you have kids in your party. The weather was in the upper 80s during the day and not humid at all. At night it was upper 60's and had I known I would have gotten pashminas for the ladies.

I was at the Hilton this last weekend for a site visit and I was able to swim on a portion of the beach. The weather last weekend was beautiful 85 degrees! I was the ONLY one I saw swimming in the ocean the entire time I was there. The water was great though! Hope this helps.

Thank you all. I may have to move my wedding to November due to family reasons and since the place I wanted to have it in Riviera Maya is not sure if the lease will be renewed, I'm consider just completely switching to Cabo.

Ocean swimming and good food are very important to me, as is pretty design. And I need to have a beach ceremony and beach front or ocean view reception - do you all have recs on this? Should I have cocktails on the beach and reception in an ocean view area? What are those areas like?

I was originally thinking of an AI since I have so many guests (100?) but the Hilton gets such great reviews and I like that all the rooms have ocean views...but the menus are so pricey!! Same as LA if not worse in some cases! My future inlaws will do a rehearsal dinner, and my parents will pay for a wedding + 1 more thing - either welcome cocktails or day after brunch - would the cocktails be the cheaper way to go? Did any of you negotiate on the menus and pricing?

Or are there 2 cheaper things we can somehow manage to do, like cocktails w/apps and one activity? I was thinking of organizing a surfing outing, maybe my FI and I could pay for it, but I'm not sure b/c it seems really expensive. Maybe a snorkeling outing would be cheaper, and the surfing could be optional. I don't know. So much to think about and I haven't even been to Cabo! Maybe I should stick to Riviera Maya...

Thank you all. I may have to move my wedding to November due to family reasons and since the place I wanted to have it in Riviera Maya is not sure if the lease will be renewed, I'm consider just completely switching to Cabo.

Ocean swimming and good food are very important to me, as is pretty design. And I need to have a beach ceremony and beach front or ocean view reception - do you all have recs on this? Should I have cocktails on the beach and reception in an ocean view area? What are those areas like?

I was originally thinking of an AI since I have so many guests (100?) but the Hilton gets such great reviews and I like that all the rooms have ocean views...but the menus are so pricey!! Same as LA if not worse in some cases! My future inlaws will do a rehearsal dinner, and my parents will pay for a wedding + 1 more thing - either welcome cocktails or day after brunch - would the cocktails be the cheaper way to go? Did any of you negotiate on the menus and pricing?

Or are there 2 cheaper things we can somehow manage to do, like cocktails w/apps and one activity? I was thinking of organizing a surfing outing, maybe my FI and I could pay for it, but I'm not sure b/c it seems really expensive. Maybe a snorkeling outing would be cheaper, and the surfing could be optional. I don't know. So much to think about and I haven't even been to Cabo! Maybe I should stick to Riviera Maya...

I just returned from a site visit to Cabo. It was my first trip. I stayed at the Hilton and visited Dreams Los Cabos (all inclusive) and Cabo Surf. The Hilton is very beatiful and the food is great. The setting is very amazing. I saw a wedding on the beach with a reception in the secondary pool area (the name of which is escaping me). I was considering the beach ceremony and a reception on the black marlin terrace which is ocean and pool view. It has a concete area (no need to rent a dance floor) and also has grass. The resort suggested using a terrace or the beach for the ceremony and then holding the cocktail hour and reception at another location. I think it just depends what you are looking for, but you can not go wrong with any of the locations they offer, they all are great. The Hilton food in general for their banquet menu and their standard menus was extremely over priced in my opinion. For example, $25.00 per person for breakfast, $35.00 for one order of fish tacos and chips by the pool without drinks, $5 for a bottle of water etc. etc.

We also spent a day at Dreams on a day pass which was our first all inclusive experience. The food was much better than I expected, but not as good as the Hilton. The beach is identicle in my opinion to the Hilton. We actually walked from the Hilton to Dreams along the beach. They share the same beach, same view. Dreams, as does Hilton, every room has an ocean view.

For us the deciding factors were the price of food and open bar (near $200 per person at Hilton and $50 per persona at Dreams) and the general atmosphere of the hotels. The Hilton was much more formal and conservative, it would offer elegance and class. Dreams seemed more casual and fun. The crowd was younger and more energetic. Our friends will enjoy themselves more at Dreams. Those were the factors for us, and I am sure there are plenty of other brides with different opinions.

In the end, I do not think we would have been disappointed with either location. The planners are great and professional and the setting of both is amazing. I would be happy to give you the info I have on the resorts or answer any other questions. I am sure you will know when you find the right place. Happy Hunting!